Political activism in campuses cannot be completely or even effectively stopped in functional democracies. Ideally student politics should neither be controlled nor banned in democracies like India. They foster free thought, ideas and perspectives from students of diverse backgrounds.

Historically, political activism has been around ever since universities have been in existence, whether in Europe, America or Asia and in recent history, in South Africa. Student activism has played a major role in fighting apartheid and racism, ending slavery, challenging bigoted ideas, fighting dictatorships and cruel regimes, promoting equal rights of women, LGBT rights, combatting child labour and a host of other causes. In many instances, these social and political causes received impetus because of assistance from political parties that sometimes have their political axes to grind in supporting certain causes.